Among the best-known paint brands out there for exceeding your expectations is Benjamin Moore. The company generates its individual proprietary Gennex® colourants and resins, guaranteeing consistent quality control and premium application properties. Enhance the outside and inside of your office or home with the stellar colour and product selection available.



Company Origins

The “Calsom Finish,” an original wall coating, was designed in 1883 by Benjamin Moore. He worked alongside his older brother, Robert Moore, to formulate this product in Brooklyn, NY. In the initial year of production, the brothers recognized profits and high demand, allowing their business to thrive quickly. Their Corporation was born in New York in 1889 and their current New Jersey Corporation started soon afterward.

In the start-up process, Benjamin Moore founded a personal philosophy that expanded into the first credo of the company. He passionately believed that “The application of Intelligence to Industry based upon Integrity,” has to be their foundation. Eventually, these prime words, “Intelligence, Integrity and Industry,” became the core values of the company.

The businesses’ current Internal Vision dictates these values further as “Leadership, Innovation and Performance.” It is this strong philosophy that creates such a solid founding principle for the company.

Today’s logo, featuring the “M Triangle,” was created in 1925 by L.P. Moore to represent the concept of “Integrity, Intelligence and Industry.” Representing the “3 I’s,” it is the logo that the Benjamin Moore staff proudly wear on their service pins. This signifies how the company works with its employees, customers and suppliers.

Benjamin Moore refined his Calsom Finish product in 1892 and created MURESCO, a new item. This all-in-one ceiling and wall finish was revolutionary for its time. It became a standard household word and even earned a listing within Webster’s Standard Dictionary.

Benjamin Moore continued to develop innovative products over the years. SANI-FLAT was a lead-free, flat-finish, decorative product that could handle frequent cleanings. The UTILAC fast-drying enamel came out next as an excellent replacement to widely popular lacquers that were dangerous.

The company continued to expand in 1897 as Benjamin Moore and Co. saw repeated success with their innovative products. The expansion program was launched to deliver optimal service to expanding clients. Over the following decade, the business created a factory and a subsidiary in Chicago, bought a Cleveland factory and built a New Jersey plant.

Canadian roots were formed on September 7, 1906. During the first shareholders’ meeting on September 11, 1906, Benjamin Moore was elected president. Fred Moore, Benjamin’s half-brother, was elected as Treasurer in 1911. Fred became the Canadian branch’s managing director and then the first residing Canadian president in 1937. His position allowed for the formation of the current Benjamin Moore & Co., Ltd.

The City of Toronto saw the first company established. On January 14, 1907, the plant located on Lloyd Avenue was bought. This became a thriving operation that encouraged the company to open a Montreal warehouse in 1923. The company established various warehouses across Canada in the 1920s, including Saskatoon, Halifax, Winnipeg, Regina and Vancouver. Unbelievably, the initial Toronto to Vancouver shipments travelled an all-water route sometimes through the Panama Canal and roughly 8500 miles!

In 1953, a complete factory was constructed in Montreal. By 1962, a third plant was built in Burnaby, BC. This plant relocated in 1991 to Aldergrove. By 2000, the company updated its manufacturing processes.

The Aldergrove location changed to become the Western distribution and office location and production manufacturing stopped. The Toronto plant was also done after running for 94 years. However, the Montreal facility grew and became an all-latex manufacturer.. The Burlington, Ontario plant, formerly known as Technical Coatings Co. Limited, was grown to centralize the solvent-based production.



In December 2000, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. purchased Benjamin Moore & Co. This business owns subsidiaries and acts as a holding company with a variety of interests in different businesses. The Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is Warren Buffet.

Over 275 employees are committed to delivering stellar service at Benjamin Moore & Co. They work at a variety of independent retailers all across Canada to deliver their best items to consumers and contractors.

Nowadays, the company focuses its vision and strategy on offering support to independent retailers while growing, leveraging and protecting the Benjamin Moore brand. This business had developed numerous programs including the Strategic Training Triad for the Retailer, the Signature Store Program and the Painting & Decorating Services Initiative.

This company continually evolves to remain at the forefront of the competitive and progressive paint market by relying on the success of these programs. Branding as “The Colour Experts,” this was created by the company’s first spokesperson, Betty Moore in the 1950s. Moor-O-Matic custom colours were born in the 1960s and by 1970, the Moore’s Colour Matching System.

Canada has recognized Benjamin Moore as its most trusted paint brand. The recognition is from independent research, Reader’s Digest and Ipsos-Reid Canada, one of the most trusted independent research firms and public opinion polls in the country.

Research and Development

Ongoing product testing combined with scientific testing enables Benjamin Moore & Co., Ltd. to offer excellent paint products that clients enjoy using.

There are over 100 technicians, chemical engineers, support staff and chemists maintaining strict product standards. New products are continuously being developed by these crews. There are ten team labs operated at an 80,000 square foot Technical & Administrative Centre by technical staff.

Every lab is outfitted with the latest technology. The instruments focus on a certain expertise level. All labs work together to create the Benjamin Moore formulations. The labs work close to the marketing and manufacturing facilities to ensure demands are met across the different industries including industrial, DIY, professional and commercial markets.

The analytic laboratory focuses on instruments using the highest levels of technology to determine paint formulas for Benjamin Moore product formulations.

There are two testing locations at the Competitive Evaluations Laboratory dedicated to testing the exterior products and their competitive brands. Tests include having over 20,000 painted or stained test items to note a variety of weather extremes and how the products handle for up to 15 years. These panels are subjected to different analyzing techniques to create new formulas and make better products or update existing formulas. To ensure their competitors’ products hold up to their advertising claims, Benjamin Moore regularly tests them too.

Benjamin Moore’s product quality is tested by the Central Process Lab. This is on top of the daily batch testing for products on the production line of the Benjamin Moore Plant.

The Latex Coatings Laboratory and the Solvent Coatings Laboratory is where solvent-based and new latex-based coatings are developed and tested for performance-enhancing capabilities. These items are repeatedly tested to ensure that they pass the stringent company expectations for clients, environmental stands and company regulations.

The Industrial Maintenance Finishes Laboratory designs specific corrosion-fighting coatings for high-performance for industrial use including factories, military tanks and similar applications.

The main location for most of Benjamin Moore’s research is done at the Polymer Laboratory. Here is where the binders utilized in the products are created or improved. Most paint businesses create their polymers from exterior places. Benjamin Moore relies on in-house production to offer quality assurance. Binder formulas can be tailored to meet certain requirements.



The Colour Assurance Laboratory creates the factory standards that maintain the consistency of ready-mixed Benjamin Moore colours. Their exceptional standards are distributed in each one of Benjamin Moore’s paint plants. The lab monitors the chip accuracy of the Benjamin Moore colour cards to ensure complete consistency. This tool helps contractors and homeowners find the perfect shade.

The Colour Technology Lab invented the initial computerized colour-matching system that became a standard in the industry. This machine is vital for enhancing Benjamin Moore’s colour-matching abilities. The lab is reviewed and evaluated by scientists for developing colour matching technologies.

The Colour Development Lab is where the prescriptions for each paint colour are stored. It examines formulas to ensure consistency for existing shades and creates new formulas for different colours.

25,000 paint coating samples are evaluated and studied at the Exterior Testing Facility aka “the Test Farm,” after being exposed to harsh elements for a certain time. This colour data is used by the daily research and development teams. This farm has been designed for accessibility and is located close to where the paint is created and tested in labs.

The staff chemists are able to use this lab for all of their research and development work. The chemists’ staff is encouraged to visit the lab frequently throughout the day to view their coatings and see how they are performing. Marketing and sales employees also rely on the farm as a vital resource for information on products.

The Technical & Administrative Centre is home to the company’s Corporate Engineering, Product Information Centre, Management Information Services, Regulatory Affairs Departments and Information Resource Centre.